Mailing List

First Name

Last Name

Postal Code

Country

Clay's Blog: '5/12ths and Beyond'

05/30/2013

Well, here we are. All of us. 2013 is 5/12's done. This year has already been every bit as exciting as the past few. There have been National Anthems at monumental events, a new GRAMMY for the shelf, & our new production currently out on the road. I'll try to pickup where Coy left off from his last blog.

Australia was as new to most of us as we were to Australia. While I know there were true fans at every show, it suddenly felt like 2009 all over again; over there we were new artists. We opened up for Jason Mraz for a couple shows & Bonnie Raitt for a couple of shows. There was also a spot for us to play a headlining set at a small club in Sydney. It's been quite a while since we played for a small audience in a small spot. The energy was every bit as pungent as a packed arena but different in a way that I couldn't possibly explain. I certainly hope that we are lucky enough to return. If I have anything to do with it, we'd go every year. Somehow, traveling 26 hours from door to door makes you appreciate 5 hour flights across the US.

We had a blast in the Florida Keys making the video for "Jump Right In." Yes, the catapult was awesome. Unfortunately the video footage doesn't properly capture how violently the catapult launched you into the water. Everyone was a pretty good sport about it... & there was a lot of drinking (I think... I really don't clearly remember it).

As some of you might know, Red Rocks is our favorite place to play. The stars didn't line up for us to do it in 2012, but this year we were lucky enough to play 3 nights in a row. Although the weather was a bit dodgy, the magic was still in the air out there. If you've never seen a show there, I highly suggest it. Again, if it was up to me, we'd play THERE every year as well.

There was a Jimmy Kimmel Live appearance somewhere in there. Also, we were lucky enough to share the stage with Kacey Musgraves in Napa at the Bottlerock Festival. I'm willing to bet that it's not the last time that we'll jam together.

CMA Fest & our Zamily Reunion is just around the corner, along with some regular old, vanilla touring which is what we do best. However, another feather in the cap looms at the end of June: London. Two years have past since we last saw her. Everyone is ready to reengage across the pond. There are also a slew of Canadian dates in the near future. See, I told you this year was already exciting... but it's only going to get better.